Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of patients with postcraniotomy meningitis(PM)caused by Gram-negative bacteria(GNB),and to evaluate the related risk factors for mortal-ity.Methods A total of 202 PM patients in Beijing Tiantan Hospital,Capital Medical University from May 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed,including 54 cases in the death group and 148 cases in the survival group.The distribution of microorganisms in the two groups was analyzed,and Cox proportional hazards regression model was established to evaluate the risk factors of death.Results Among the 202 pa-tients with PM caused by GNB,with a mortality rate of 26.7%,Klebsiella pneumoniae(24.8%),Acinetobact-er baumannii(21.8%)and Escherichia coli(8.4%)were the top three isolated pathogens.The proportions of GNB distribution in the survival group and the death group were similar,but the bacteria distribution in the death group was more concentrate.Cox proportional hazards regression model results showed that hyperten-sion(HR=2.384,95%CI 1.229-4.626,P=0.010)and admission to ICU(HR=3.695,95%CI 1.412-9.670,P=0.008)were independent risk factors for death in patients with PM caused by GNB.Conclusion The mortality of PM caused by GNB is high.Hypertension and admission to ICU are independent risk factors for death of patients,and attention should be paid to prevention and treatment in clinical practice.

Objective To explore the application value of targeted next-generation sequencing(tNGS)in the detection of influenza A virus.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 116 patients suspected of having influenza A at our hospital from October 2024 to February 2025.All patients underwent sputum tNGS and throat swab influenza nucleic acid tests due to fever and pulmonary infection,and the diagnostic efficacy of the two methods was compared.Results Among 116 patients,93 were diagnosed with influenza A.Among these 93 influenza A patients,the detection rate of tNGS was higher than that of in-fluenza nucleic acid testing(P<0.05).The results of tNGS and influenza nucleic acid testing for influenza A showed significant consistency with the confirmed diagnosis(P<0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in tNGS sequence counts between the influenza nucleic acid-positive and negative groups(P<0.05).Twenty-three patients excluded from influenza A diagnosis served as the control group.Comparisons of white blood cell(WBC)counts among the influenza nucleic acid-positive group,negative group,and control group showed statistically significant differences(P<0.05),whereas comparisons of C-reactive protein(CRP)and serum amyloid A(SAA)showed no statistically significant differences(P>0.05).Conclusion tNGS demonstrates significant advantages in detecting influenza A virus.Combined with peripheral blood infection-related in-dicators for comprehensive diagnosis,it may provide a more effective approach for early diagnosis and treatment of influenza virus infectious diseases.

Objective This study aimed to analyze the characteristics and clinical significance of peripheral lymphocytic subsets and cytokine levels, including interleukin 1β(IL-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12P70, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α), interferon γ(IFN-γ) and IFN-α, in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), to provide some novel insights into the pathogenesis of PBC. Methods We retrospectively collected clinical features and laboratory data from hospitalized patients who were primarily diagnosed with PBC and from healthy physical examinees at the Third People's Hospital of Changzhou between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Results A total of 152 PBC patients and 96 healthy controls who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled. Significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics and laboratory data between the two groups. After the propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, 61 PBC patients and 61 healthy controls were successfully matched, ensuring that the general characteristics (age and gender) of the two groups were balanced and comparable. Compared to the control group, the proportion of peripheral lymphocytes was significantly higher in the PBC group (31.9% vs. 17.8%), primarily due to an increase in CD4⁺ T cells (46.77% vs. 41.19%), while CD8⁺T cells were significantly decreased (19.73% vs. 22.07%). Notably, the proportions of CD4⁺ programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)⁺ T and CD8⁺PD-1⁺ T cells were elevated, with CD8⁺PD-1⁺ T cells showing a significant positive correlation with the severity of liver inflammation (r=0.41). Furthermore, the mitochondrial mass (MM) of CD4⁺ T cells was significantly increased in PBC patients, whereas no significant changes were observed in the MM of CD8⁺ T cells or the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of CD3⁺ T cells. Additionally, the plasma levels of cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-8, IL-10 and IFN-α, were abnormally elevated. The plasma levels of IL-5 and IL-1β were negatively correlated with the stage of liver fibrosis in patients with PBC (r=-0.52). Conclusion The overactivation and proliferation of CD4⁺ T cells, along with the suppression of CD8⁺ T cell function and increased PD-1 expression leads to T cell exhaustion, indicating significant immunological alterations in PBC patients. These changes are closely associated with the disease progression. Additionally, cytokines are likely involved in the immune regulation process of PBC and may influence the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease. Regular monitoring of lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels can help assess the immune status and disease activity in patients with PBC, thereby guiding the individualized treatment strategies.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology* ; Aged ; Cytokines/blood* ; Adult ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology*

Objective:To establish a new method and platform for screening, identifying, and exploring a new strategy for anti-hepatitis B immunotherapy based on hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific TCR.Methods:Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from patients with acute hepatitis B. CD3 +CD8 +CD137 +T single cells were sorted out after stimulation with the HBsAg peptide library. The α and β chains in TCRs of single cells were amplified by PCR. TCR double-chain pairing and lentiviral packaging were performed through high-throughput sequencing. Re-infected Jurkat-76-NFAT-GFP cells and the cell lines stably expressing TCR were screened. HBsAg peptide library and immortalized B lymphocytes co-cultured with J76N-TCR were used to screen HBsAg-specific TCRs. K562 cell lines stably expressing HLA-A*24:02 were established to determine epitope peptide by screening A*24:02-restricted TCR. The screened TCRs were replaced with mouse C regions and packaged with lentiviruses. Functional validation was performed on healthy human CD4 +T and CD8 +T lymphocytes following infection. Results:Stable TCR-expressing cell lines were successfully prepared based on single-cell TCRαβ double-chain amplification and pairing technology. Twenty-one TCRs were screened using immortalized B lymphocytes, resulting in nine possible HLA-A*24:02-restricted HBsAg-specific TCRs. Further screening with K562-A2402 resulted in six A*24:02-restricted HBsAg-specific TCRs with identically recognized epitope peptide. The functional determination of the two TCR clones revealed their specific recognition function for target cells expressing HBsAg.Conclusion:HLA-A*24:02-restricted HBsAg-specific TCR with recognition function for target cells expressing HBsAg was successfully obtained based on the new experimental technology system, laying an important foundation for further exploration of antiviral immunotherapy based on HBV-specific TCR.

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

Objective:To establish a new method and platform for screening, identifying, and exploring a new strategy for anti-hepatitis B immunotherapy based on hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific TCR.Methods:Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from patients with acute hepatitis B. CD3 +CD8 +CD137 +T single cells were sorted out after stimulation with the HBsAg peptide library. The α and β chains in TCRs of single cells were amplified by PCR. TCR double-chain pairing and lentiviral packaging were performed through high-throughput sequencing. Re-infected Jurkat-76-NFAT-GFP cells and the cell lines stably expressing TCR were screened. HBsAg peptide library and immortalized B lymphocytes co-cultured with J76N-TCR were used to screen HBsAg-specific TCRs. K562 cell lines stably expressing HLA-A*24:02 were established to determine epitope peptide by screening A*24:02-restricted TCR. The screened TCRs were replaced with mouse C regions and packaged with lentiviruses. Functional validation was performed on healthy human CD4 +T and CD8 +T lymphocytes following infection. Results:Stable TCR-expressing cell lines were successfully prepared based on single-cell TCRαβ double-chain amplification and pairing technology. Twenty-one TCRs were screened using immortalized B lymphocytes, resulting in nine possible HLA-A*24:02-restricted HBsAg-specific TCRs. Further screening with K562-A2402 resulted in six A*24:02-restricted HBsAg-specific TCRs with identically recognized epitope peptide. The functional determination of the two TCR clones revealed their specific recognition function for target cells expressing HBsAg.Conclusion:HLA-A*24:02-restricted HBsAg-specific TCR with recognition function for target cells expressing HBsAg was successfully obtained based on the new experimental technology system, laying an important foundation for further exploration of antiviral immunotherapy based on HBV-specific TCR.

Objective To investigate the effect of the glutathione peroxidase 4(GPx4)on mouse so-matic cell reprogramming.Methods To compare the expressions of GPx4 in OG2 mouse embryonic fibroblast(OG2-MEF)cells(MEFs group)and mouse embryonic stem cells(mESC,mESCs group),the expression lev-el of intracellular GPx4 was determined by transcriptome sequencing technique and Western blot.To verify the effect of GPx4 on the efficiency of the somatic cells reprogramming,the complete open reading frame se-quence of GPx4 gene and its selenocysteine insertion sequence(SECIS)were connected to the retroviral vector pMXs for constructing the overexpressed plasmid pMXs-GPx4.Gpx4-targeting short hairpin RNA(shRNA)was synthesized and connected to pSUPER vector,GPx4 shRNA1 and GPx4 shRNA2 were constructed to knockdown GPx4 expression.The above plasmids were co-transfected with pMXs-Sox2,pMXs-Klf4 and pMXs-Oct4 into MEF cells for reprogramming induction to obtain the pMXs no-load control group(pMXs NC),pMXs GPx4 group,pSUPER no-load control group(pSUPER NC),GPx4 shRNA1 group and GPx4 shRNA2 group.The expressions of GPx4 gene and multifunctional marker genes Rex1,Sox2,Dappa3,Sall4,Oct4 and Nanog were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.The induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSC)were detected by immunofluorescence staining;the number of iPSC clones generation was detected by alkaline phosphatase staining of pluripotent stem cells;the GPx4 protein expression was detected by Western blot.Results The mRNA and protein expression of GPx4 in the mESCs group was higher than that in the MEFs group;compared with the pMXs NC group,the expression level of GPx4 mRNA in the pMXs GPx4 group was significantly increased;compared with the pSUPER NC group,the GPx4 mRNA and protein levels in the GPx4 shRNA1 group and GPx4 shRNA2 group were decreased(P＜0.05);the iPSC clone number in the pMXs GPx4 group was higher than that in the pMXs NC group,but the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The number of iPSC clones in the GPx4 shRNA1 group and GPx4 shRNA2 group was significantly lower than that in the pSUPER NC group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).After completing the reprogramming,compared with the original MEF cells,the expression levels of various pluripotent marker genes Rex1,Sox2,Dappa3,Sall4,Oct4 and Nanog in the generated iPSC of each group were increased.Conclusion GPx4 knockdown could inhibit the efficiency of somatic cell reprogram-ming,its generated induced pluripotent stem cells have the normal pluripotent gene expression ability.

Objective    To evaluate the survival results of surgical resection (SR) and CT-guided percutaneous ablation (PA) for stageⅠnon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods    The PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang databases from inception to June 2021 were searched to collect comparative studies on the survival results between SR and CT-guided PA treatment for stageⅠNSCLC. RevMan 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis of data. Results    A total of 3 114 patients were included in 11 studies. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the PA group, the SR group had a higher 2-year postoperative overall survival (OS) rate (OR=1.44, 95%CI 1.00-2.06, P=0.05), 3-year postoperative OS rate (OR=2.37, 95%CI 1.47-3.81, P<0.001), 5-year OS rate (OR=1.64, 95%CI 1.19-2.28, P<0.01), 5-year progression-free survival rate after operation (OR=2.43, 95%CI 1.54-3.82, P<0.001) and lower local recurrence rate (OR=0.26, 95%CI 0.13-0.54, P<0.001). There were no statistical differences between the two groups in terms of 1-year postoperative OS rate, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year tumor-related survival rates, 1-year, 2-year tumor-free survival rates, or distant postoperative recurrence rate (P>0.05). Conclusion    For patients with stageⅠNSCLC with optimal basic conditions, surgery is a more appropriate treatment. For patients who cannot withstand surgical injuries or refuse surgery, CT-guided PA is also a potential alternative treatment. However, this conclusion needs  to be verified by prospective controlled trials with larger sample sizes and a more rigorous design.

In the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by dysregulated lipid metabolism in hepatocytes, the quest for safe and effective therapeutics targeting lipid metabolism has gained paramount importance. Sanhuang Xiexin Tang (SXT) and Baihu Tang (BHT) have emerged as prominent candidates for treating metabolic disorders. SXT combined with BHT plus Cangzhu (SBC) has been used clinically for Weihuochisheng obese patients. This retrospective analysis focused on assessing the anti-obesity effects of SBC in Weihuochisheng obese patients. We observed significant reductions in body weight and hepatic lipid content among obese patients following SBC treatment. To gain further insights, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of SBC in HFD-fed mice. The results demonstrated that SBC treatment mitigated body weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in HFD-fed mice. Pharmacological network analysis suggested that SBC may affect lipid metabolism, mitochondria, inflammation, and apoptosis-a hypothesis supported by the hepatic transcriptomic analysis in HFD-fed mice treated with SBC. Notably, SBC treatment was associated with enhanced hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis and the inhibition of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/NF-κB pathways. In conclusion, SBC treatment alleviates NAFLD in both obese patients and mouse models by improving lipid metabolism, potentially through enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis. These effects, in turn, ameliorate inflammation in hepatocytes.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Retrospective Studies ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Obesity/metabolism* ; Liver ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Body Weight ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipids ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects*

Objective:To screen the potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of immune-mediated demyelinating diseases by tandem mass tags (TMT) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technology.Methods:Twenty patients with demyelinating diseases (demyelinating group) and 10 patients with noninflammatory neurological diseases (NND group) from Beijing Tiantan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2020 to January 2021 were enrolled in this study. The demyelinating group included 10 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS subgroup) and 10 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS subgroup). TMT proteomics was used to screen out the different protein expression patterns between the demyelinating group and the NND group and between the GBS subgroup and the MS subgroup (difference>2 or<0.5 and with statistical significance), and String database was used to perform gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of gene and genomes (KEGG) analysis on the pathways involved in the differently expressed proteins between the groups. In addition, 80 demyelinating patients (demyelinating diseases validation group) and 40 healthy subjects (healthy control group) were selected for retrospective analysis of general lipid indexes. The demyelinating diseases validation group included 40 GBS patients (GBS validation group) and 40 MS patients (MS validation group). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was obtained to evaluate the value of general lipid indexes for the diagnosis of demyelinating diseases and the differential diagnosis between GBS and MS groups.Results:A total of 362 proteins were detected by TMT proteomics. There were 101 differentially expressed proteins between the demyelinating group and the NND group, and 45 differentially expressed proteins between the GBS group and the MS group. Compared with the NND group, GO enrichment analysis showed that the top five enrichment pathways in the demyelinating group were macrophage colony stimulating factor and receptor complex, negative regulation of cholesterol input, negative regulation of very low density lipoprotein particle clearance, triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particle remodeling, and cholesterol reverse transport. Compared with MS group, the top five enriched pathways in GBS group were high-density lipoprotein particle receptor binding, negative regulation of very low density lipoprotein particle remodeling, negative regulation of cholesterol input, negative regulation of very low density lipoprotein particle clearance, and medium density lipoprotein particle. KEGG enrichment analysis results showed that differentially expressed proteins in the demyelinating group and the NND group were enriched in 8 pathways, including phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases-protein kinase B signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascade reaction, extracellular matrix and its receptor interaction, Staphylococcus aureus infection, cholesterol metabolism, RAS signaling pathway, phagosome, and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Differentially expressed proteins in GBS group and MS group were enriched in 9 pathways: cholesterol metabolism, complement and coagulation cascade, platelet activation, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors signaling pathway, vitamin digestion and absorption, novel coronavirus infection, fat digestion and absorption, axon guidance, and neutrophil extracellular trap formation pathway. The levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) were significantly higher, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) levels were significantly lower in the demyelinating disease validation group than in the healthy control group (all P<0.05 or 0.01). Area under the curve (AUC) of TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, apoA1 and apoB alone or in combination for the diagnosis of immune-mediated demyelinating diseases was 0.746, 0.643, 0.798, 0.703, 0.806, 0.708 and 0.868, respectively. The AUC of HDL-C, apoA1, LDL-C and apoB for differential diagnosis between GBS and MS was 0.692, 0.653, 0.632, 0.695 and 0.718, respectively. Conclusions:There are differences in cerebrospinal fluid proteomics between patients with immune-mediated demyelinating disease and patients with NND, GBS and MS, and the differentially expressed protein patterns mainly exist in the pathways related to lipid metabolism. Lipid related indicators may be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of immune-mediated demyelinating disease.